ORINATS YERKIR IS ON THE OFFENSIVE
Lragir.am
11 May 06
Nothing dramatic is happening with the Orinats Yerkir Party, said
the secretary of the Orinats Yerkir faction on May 11 to define the
resignation of the businessmen members of parliament of the faction.
At the Pakagits Club she met with news reporters to comment on the
recent developments. Heghineh Bisharyan thinks the resignation of
the businessmen members of parliament is an openly guided process
but Heghineh Bisharyan declines to specify who guides this process.
“Today, in my opinion, business and politics are interdependent,
and naturally a businessman cannot be independent, which gives
rise to such developments. This phenomenon allows to think about
what is going on. Every political force and every businessman may
face it. It does not matter how many members the Orinats Yerkir has,
seven, thirteen or three, it will go on operating clearly, working,”
states the secretary of the Orinats Yerkir faction, adding that the
party is on the offensive.
Heghineh Bisharyan thinks certain political forces are worried by
the advancement of Arthur Baghdasaryan, whom she describes as an
honest and outspoken figure, who is truly eager to make changes in
the country. “Unlike other political forces, which have displayed
themselves in the political sphere, they failed to change the situation
in the country in so many years. I advise you to go around the regions
to see if politics of the recent years has changed anything in our
lives or not,” says the secretary of the Orinats Yerkir faction.
Heghineh Bisharyan mentions that presently the Orinats Yerkir Party
is exposed to a large-scale attack, and it is the latest political
fashion to criticize the leader of the party Arthur Baghdasaryan.
Heghineh Bisharyan thinks it would be better if Arthur Baghdasaryan
resigned and the party seceded from the coalition. Though Heghineh
Bisharyan says it is her personal opinion, she mentions, nevertheless,
that the entire party and personally Arthur Baghdasaryan share her
opinion. And according to the secretary of the Orinats Yerkir faction,
even if there are people in the party who would try to influence
Arthur Baghdasaryan to keep their offices, they will not succeed.
“There are people everywhere who crave for office. There are people
who care for their position only. The leader of our party does not
crave for office, and it does not worry him, and I think he will not
share that opinion,” says Heghineh Bisharyan. She assures that with
62 thousand members the resignation of several members of parliament
will not undermine the Orinats Yerkir Party and its activities. In
addition, Heghineh Bisharyan thinks that during the vote the Orinats
Yerkir relied on the population and not its member businessmen.
“The Orinats Yerkir does not buy votes, and we will receive more
votes. I am one of the builders of the party, and those who quit the
party are not among these builders, upholders of the party, those who
solve the financial problems of the party. The Orinats Yerkir party
will not suffer losses, neither in terms of money nor number,” says
Heghineh Bisharyan. For the rumored resignation of Samvel Balasanyan,
the leader of the faction, she believes that Samvel Balasanyan is not
going to leave the party, neither are the other members of parliament
who have a definite standpoint. The secretary of the Orinats Yerkir
faction announces that the key upcoming issue is the parliamentary
election, which will have an essential role for the country.
“Together with all the non-governmental organizations we must focus
on the upcoming election. The upcoming election is utterly important
for the future of our country. For a great number of political forces
are established, and we do not know around and for what these are
established, without a political platform, an ideology, and it is
not clear either what gaps they are going to fill in,” says Heghineh
Bisharyan. She states that all are parties whose leaders utter a
sentence, a word, and people wonder what they told. With the forces
should be employed to reach transparency in elections. For the
abovementioned businessmen, Heghineh Bisharyan finds it difficult
to answer where they will go, saying there regard to this the choice
of political parties by these businessman is, according ot Heghineh
Bisharyan, a matter of taste.

MOLLAZADEH PERFORMS AT 5TH PLENARY SESSION OF INITIATIVE GROUP WITH SOUTH CAUCASIAN PARLIAMENT
Author: J. Shakhverdiyev
TREND Info, Azerbaijan
May 11 2006
Within the 5th plenary session of Initiative Group with South
Caucasian parliament, Azeri delegation met with German Foreign Minister
and representatives of Bundestag’s group for friendship with South
Caucasus, reportedly said Asim Mollazadeh, member of Azeri delegation
and chairman of Democratic Reforms Party.
5th plenary session of Initiative Group with South Caucasian
parliament started May 9, 2006. Mollazadeh said within the session
its participants led a conference entitled “Globalization and its
influence on South Caucasus”, where they exchanged opinions on
globalization impact on political, economic, public life of the region.
Mollazadeh said also Armenian delegation missed the session for some
uncertain reasons. “There were only Azeri and Georgian delegations
at the session. For this reason, no serious decision was made at this
event. We just spoke on globalization on South Caucasus”, – he said.
Azeri delegation includes MPs Siyavush Novruzov, Asim Mollazadeh,
Mirkazim Kazimov, Arastun Javadov, Fuad Muadov and Zahid Orujov. The
delegation is arriving in Baku May 12.

SHALL WE HAVE HANGING GARDENS IN YEREVAN
Lragir.am
11 May 06
Neither Samvel Danielyan, the architect of Yerevan, nor the president
of the Union of Architects Mkrtich Minasyan and the director of
Armproject Institute Gurgen Musheghyan likes the view of the roofs
of Yerevan.
“Our city is shaped like an amphitheater, and a view from above reveals
that the roofs need serious reconstruction. The architecture of the
roofs must be changed both in terms of materials and structure. The
roofs of some buildings were not planned architecturally. Corrections
are necessary. The basements in Yerevan need to be changed as well,”
thinks Samvel Danielyan.
Gurgen Musheghyan agrees with him. “For Yerevan, it is not only
necessary to repair the roofs but also turn them into green areas to
compensate for decreasing green areas on the ground.”
Mkrtich Minasyan also dislikes the “roof” of Yerevan.
“Our union has always stated its opinion on questions of architecture
but I do not know why we are placed in opposite camps. Questions need
to be discussed.”

ARMENIAN MP URGES SPEAKER TO RESIGN
Regnum, Moscow
11 May 06
11 May: “It will be correct, if Artur Bagdasaryan (speaker of the
Armenian parliament and leader of the Orinats Yerkir [Law-Governed
Country] Party) resigns, and the party leaves the [ruling] coalition,”
the secretary of the party’s parliamentary faction, Egine Bisharyan,
told journalists today.
She said that Bagdasaryan himself and party members also agree with
this position. At the same time, she pointed out that the party is
determined to fight and regardless of whether it will be represented
by 13, seven or three MPs in parliament, it will act clearly and in
a coordinated way.
Bisharyan said that the departure of businessmen MPs from the party
is a political action undertaken from “above”.
Five businessmen MPs have left the party over the past few days.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE PROGRAM OF RECONSTRUCTION OF MARTAKERT REGION TO BE LAUNCHED IN NKR
ArmRadio.am
11.05.2006 17:50
The project of reconstruction of Martakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh
funded by “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund will be launched.
NKR Minister of Agriculture Vahram Baghdasaryan informs that under
the project a program of agricultural development will be implemented.
“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund, together with the NKR Agricultural
Fund and Government will found an Association of Farmers, which will
unite the landowners and will provide technologies and facilities at
low prices.

ARMEN RUSTAMYAN: ARMENIA IS THE GUARANTOR OF THE RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION OF NKR
ArmRadio.am
11.05.2006 18:10
The process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict, public and
political dispositions on the issue in Armenia were discussed at
the roundtable organized at the initiative of the Center of Public
Dialogue and Development. The major speakers Armen Rustamyan, Head of
the NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, and Khachik Galstyan,
President of the Armenian Union of Conflict and Peace Research,
presented their approaches to the issue.
First, Armen Rustamyan turned to the Ramboilliet meeting, saying that
he does not agree with the popular view that these talks failed or
entered a deadlock.
According to him, International organizations are united in their
opinion that regional programs cannot be implemented successfully,
unless the conflicts existing in the region have been resolved.
Russia considers that the process of settlement of the Karabakh
conflict cannot be constructive, unless the process concerns the core
of the problem.
According to the speaker, the conflicts in the region differ in a
number of aspects and every of these should be treated differently.
Rustamyan considers that Armenia is the guarantor of the right of
self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Khachik Galstyan attaches importance to the public aspect of the
conflict, i.e. to public diplomacy.

ARMENIAN SPEAKER UNDECIDED ON RESIGNATION – PAPER
Aykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
11 May 06
Excerpt from Naira Zograbyan’s report in Armenian newspaper Aykakan
Zhamanak on 11 May headlined “They are intensively destroying the
Law-Governed Country Party”.
On 9 May, parliament speaker Artur Bagdasaryan did not congratulate
the people of Armenia on the occasion of Victory Day, nor did he join
[President] Robert Kocharyan and members of the government when they
laid flowers at the monument to an unknown soldier in Victory Park.
We have the impression that Bagdasaryan dodged his duties as parliament
speaker.
Rumours circulated yesterday that Artur Bagdasaryan will tender his
resignation on 22 May during the four-day sitting of parliament
and the Law-Governed Country Party [LGCP] will leave the ruling
coalition. The LGCP neither confirmed nor denied these rumours. The
deputy chairman of the party, Mger Shakhgeldyan, only said that the
party’s official position will be made public soon. Meanwhile, some
influential members of the party have left it.
[Passage omitted: list of these members]
After that, only 10 MPs [from the party] remained instead of 21.
However, this is not all of the potential of the authorities for
punishing Bagdasaryan. After removing MPs who have their own businesses
from the LGCP, they will remove MPs from the party’s political board.
Let us recall that the overall operation for the destruction of
the LGCP is guided from the president’s residence, and Kocharyan is
immediately informed if any member of the party applies for leaving
it. But nobody knows about the actual reason for Bagdasaryan’s quick
destruction. There is panic within the party. What is Bagdasaryan
going to do? According to our information, he is in panic too and
cannot make a decision. Some ministers and officials that occupy high
posts and are members of the LGCP are persuading Bagdasaryan not
to tender his resignation. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation –
Dashnaktsutyun dodges comment on the situation. The leader of the
parliamentary faction of the [ruling] Republican Party of Armenia,
Galust Saakyan, does not think that Artur Bagdasaryan will tender
his resignation, but if he does, Saakyan will respect him more.
Anyway, domestic political developments are entering an interesting
phase.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA NOT GOING TO INTERFERE WITH TURKISH-FRENCH RELATIONS
Yerkir
11.05.2006 17:27
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Armenia is not going and does not have the right
to interfere with relations between France and Turkey, acting MFA
Spokesperson Vladimir Karapetyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In
his words, the recall of the Ambassador from Paris for consultations
is Turkey’s domestic affair.
“We do not have the right to interfere either with the policy of a
country, which recalls its Ambassador, or the position of a third
country over that decision.
Turkey’s statements on inadmissibility of “politicization” of the
Armenian Genocide issue are old news for Armenia. However, Armenia
hails the bill providing for penalty for denial of the Armenian
Genocide,” Vladimir Karapetyan believes.
We note that on May 18 the National Assembly of France will consider
the bill on declaring denial of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey
a crime.

TURKISH MPS LOBBYING IN PARIS AGAINST BILL ON ARMENIAN “GENOCIDE”
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
11 May 06
Paris, 11 May: Turkish parliamentary delegation continues its lobbying
activities in Paris against the draft law which envisions imprisonment
to those “denying” so-called Armenian genocide (submitted by French
Socialist Party).
The delegation, which is comprised of [ruling] Justice and Development
Party (AKP) parliamentarians Mehmet Dulger and Musa Sivacioglu as well
as [main opposition] Republican People’s Party (CHP) parliamentarians
Onur Oymen and Gulsun Bilgehan Toker, held its first meeting with
Herve de Charette, deputy chairman of Foreign Affairs Commission of
the French parliament.
Following the meeting, Dulger told AA [Anatolia] that parliamentarians
of French ruling Popular Movement Party (UMP) promised to do their
best to prevent adoption of the draft law in parliament.
On the other hand, Oymen said: “We conveyed parliamentarians that
if the draft law is adopted, it will ham Turkish-French relations
on a large scale. From now on, relations between the two countries
should be based on a more different structure to eliminate lobbying
activities against Turkey.”
CHP parliamentarian Toker said: “This draft law is not moral. Even
if it is rejected, the draft law has already harmed Turkish-French
relations.”
The draft law will be debated at French parliament on 18 May. It must
be accepted at Senate to become law.

US CONSIDERS STRIKES ON IRAN FROM AZERI TERRITORY
Yerkir
11.05.2006 18:39
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – UN former nuclear weapons inspector Scott Ritter
stated the US Administration considers strikes upon Iran from the
territory of Azerbaijan. In his words, after acquainting oneself with
military maps, it will be clear that deploying troops in Azerbaijan
is extremely important for the US.
“US command is extremely interested in deployment of forces in
that South Caucasian country. Why is this important? It is Iran’s
neighbor. The shortest route to Teheran lies below the Caspian,
where the army plans an offensive to,” the expert noted.
Ritter supposes that the military believe they can fulfill this mission
and they plan implementing it. “They got political instructions from
the commander-in-chief to fulfill that task. No one should doubt US
President, his closest circles and the military prepare to war with
Iran,” Scott Ritter emphasized, reports American Patriot.